


The Singing Gondolier

by StarFromPhoenix



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Firsts, Love at First Sight, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-24 21:40:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22024870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarFromPhoenix/pseuds/StarFromPhoenix
Summary: Oliver has given up on love and has decided to take some time for himself to figure life out. After a comment from a friend, on a whim he decides to go to Venice where there is a rumored singing gondolier, who, is you request a love song from, you shall find love before leaving Venice
Relationships: Oliver & Elio Perlman, Oliver/Elio Perlman
Comments: 80
Kudos: 80
Collections: CMBYN Big Bang 2019





	1. Firsts

**Author's Note:**

> I would love the thank the incredible [call_me_by_charmie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_me_by_charmie) For working with me and making this incredible art work for me! I truly appreciate it!
> 
> Visit the image [here](https://imgur.com/2xt5x3Z) and give it a like!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

  
❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉

It wasn’t that Oliver didn’t believe in love, no. He saw it all around him. In friends and co workers, in the many weddings he was invited to and countless news of births of children. He sometimes even found it for himself. Sometimes for a few months and once or twice for a year or two, but... it never seemed to last for Oliver. It just never worked out. 

Now, 2020 was just around the corner, Oliver was 37 and he had become the bachelor in his group of friends. He was the guy his friend’s wives wished to hook up their sisters and favorite cousins to. Not to mentioned the endless phone numbers his mother seemed to come up with. She had a wide social circle and she had no qualms about whipping out a picture of Oliver and proudly showing it off. The phone numbers came pouring in.

Her descriptions were funny: 25, very pretty but sorta dumb. 31, super smart, so your kids will be smart, but let’s hope they inherit your nose. 33 divorced but no kids, must move quickly though, she should have a child before 37 of course. 

When his latest relationship fell apart after 11 months back in June, Oliver though, decided he was done. Done with love and dating and all it supposedly encompassed. He was done with the expectation that he should be married with kids by now and he was done with feeling like a disappointment every time he began to get that feeling in his gut... that ‘yeah this isn’t going to work out feeling.’

Oliver needed a change. He needed to get away. It was the last week of the year and he sat at home looking at his laptop. Everything was set. As of January first he would have 3 months off work. He wouldn’t be expected back until April first and the idea of all that freedom made his skin tingle. No one knew either. No one. He wasn’t sure where he would go. He wanted to travel, he knew that much. Find himself, in a way. Forget the Oliver that couldn’t make a relationship last and find the Oliver he knew he was and had somehow lost. He sent the email to HR and his boss at the law firm. Oliver grinned. He was free for a moment. True, he would eventually return to the daily grind of New York, but right now, in his immediate future, he was free. 

❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ 

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!...”

Oliver looked around counting with everyone else. His date for the night was clinging to him, looking up expectantly, for a kiss he was sure. Yeah... no. That wasn’t gonna happen.

“Happy New Year!”

Oliver swooped down and kissed her on the cheek, Amy? Jamie? It had been noisy and he hadn’t quite heard and he hadn’t asked Scott, his best friend and host, what her name was before hand. Another friend of Scott’s wife. She was almost as bad as Oliver’s mom when it came to the set ups.

“Happy New Year!” Oliver said, patting... was it Lacey? on the back as you would a buddy and walked off, searching for Scott. He would tell his best friend if not anyone else. He would call his mom once he was at his first destination, he knew she would somehow talk him out of it and demand he spend his free time finding a wife.

“Oliver!” Oliver turned and grinned as Scott walked his way, handing him a beer. “Happy New Year, man!”

“Same,” Oliver replied, embracing him and patting his back. He looked around, he figured this would be a good time as any. “Hey, can I talk to you for a sec? There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Yeah,” Scott said, furrowing his brow for just a second and then leading Oliver into the kitchen. They were alone there. The chatting and laughing and music of the living room drowned out behind the swinging kitchen door. “What’s up?” He asked leaning against the kitchen counter, lifting his bottle to take a sip of beer.

“I am... going away for three months!” Oliver said spreading his arms.

Scott stopped halfway to bringing the beer bottle to his lips, face surprised, his brown eyes looking into Oliver’s blue ones. “What?”

“I’m going away for 3 months,” Oliver repeated, a bit more excitedly this time. It was his first time saying it out loud and he was suddenly hit by how good it was to be telling someone. Finally.

“Work?” Scott asked.

“Taking a leave. Personal. I’ve been working non stop for seven years almost!” Oliver said. “The only time I had time off was my shoulder injury and even then I was at home checking emails and taking phone calls.”

“Yes, I remember,” Scott said nodding.

“Well, this time, I’m taking time for me,” Oliver said placing his right palm on his chest. “I’m disconnecting for life here and taking some much needed r & r.”

Scott nodded, lifting his brows. “Yeah. I mean, why not?” He said grinning.

“Exactly!” Oliver replied.

Oliver turned to look at the swinging kitchen door as the noise from the living room spilled in. “Everyone is leaving,” Evelyn, Scott’s wife said. “Come say bye guys.”

And so they did. It didn’t take long and Oliver’s date, Stacey it was, hugged him and said she hoped to see him soon.

“Well, I’m going to be out of the country for.. a long time. So...” Oliver left it at that and wished her a good night.

Once the guests were gone, Oliver, Scott and Evelyn sat around the kitchen island chatting. “So what’s this you were telling Stacey?” Evelyn asked. “If you didn’t like the girl you didn’t have to go through such lengths to avoid a second date!” They all laughed.

“No! No, I was being serious!” Oliver told her. “I’m taking 3 months off work and... doing whatever. Traveling, I’m sure. I want to go to Europe maybe and just get lost and... find myself.” Oliver looked up at his oldest friends and he knew the significance of what he was saying wasn’t lost in them.

Evenly reached over and rubbed his forearm. “Find yourself so you can maybe come home and find love?” She asked.

Oliver rolled his eyes. “You know, I know you’re a wedding planner and I know you’re dying to plan my wedding but at the rate I’m going I think I’m just meant to be single!”

“No! No!” Evelyn and Scott chimed in. “My god Oliver!” Evelyn said. “You’re handsome and smart and rich! You’re an amazing catch!”

“Yes, thank you!” Oliver said with a grin. “But that obviously means nothing as I am SO single -“

“Yes well, go to Venice!” Evelyn said, interrupting him.

Oliver blinked at her. “Ok..?”

“My cousin just got back from her honeymoon and she said there’s a singing gondolier there. He takes requests so, you get on his gondola and ask him to sing a love song and you’ll fall in love before you leave Venice!”

Oliver and Scott stared at Evelyn. She rolled her eyes. “It’s like that fertility pool Nicole Kidman bathed in in Australia and she finally got pregnant, except this is a singing gondolier in Venice and his song will bring you love... oh just GO Oliver and both of you quit staring at me like I have two heads!”

Laughter followed and then more talk. Finally at about 2 am Oliver bid Scott and Evelyn a good night and drove home

He kept thinking about what Evelyn has said. It made him chuckle. By the time he reached his high rise through, Oliver had decided Venice wouldn’t be a bad place to start. History. Beauty. Romance. Why not?

He opened his laptop and booked a one way ticket to Venice departing in three days. He figured, fate would tell him when to leave. 

❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ ❈ ❉ 

Venice was all it was meant to be. Oliver was taken aback by all the beauty and history. Romance was also just alive there, it’s as if Oliver could feel it in the air. Although Evelyn’s story stuck with him, he didn’t necessarily want to believe it or go chasing after some singing gondolier. How silly would that be? Although he hated to admit it, but every time he was on a gondola he would look around as if expecting to hear singing drifting through the air.

Oliver had been in Venice six days and his mind had more or less drifted from what Evelyn had said when it happened. He was picking out wine when he heard a couple of tourist talk behind him about the singing gondolier. Much like Evelyn’s story, they said if you got a ride and requested he sing a love song, you would find love before you left Venice. Oliver almost turned around and asked them if they knew his name or anything about him but decided not to. He wasn’t in Venice for that! He was in Venice to get away and find himself. Oliver would not be looking for a singing anything any time soon.  
  


Of course, as with most things which we try to ignore, they tend to be front and center in our minds. A mere two days later Oliver found himself strolling along and wondering about this singing gondolier. On a whim he decided he would go look for him. It was silly, he knew, but... Oliver shook his head. No. He wouldn’t talk himself out of this. 

It took a moment but he finally got into a gondola. The young gondolier offered his hand as Oliver stepped him. Oliver laughed, not in a malicious way, as he sized up the young man. He looked young, early 20s maybe and thin. Oliver easily had 60 lbs on him not to mention about a foot in height. 

“No offense man, but if I’m tumbling down I don’t think there’s much you can do about it!” He said climbing inside the gondola and taking a seat. He had gotten comfortable at this, he realized. 

The young man raised a hand and bowed his head. “None taken,” he said in perfect English. This caught Oliver by surprise. 

“You American?” He asked with a wide grin. 

The young man shrugged. “Papa is. But I grew up on this side of the pond. You obviously are.” He said as he looked Oliver up and down with a little sideways smile and they took off. 

Oliver felt a little nervous shiver snake through him. He looked down at himself, a little self conscious and looked back up at the young man. He ducked his head just so as they went under a small stone bridge. Oliver gazed at him. He was quite handsome... beautiful actually seemed to be a better word. His brown curls were almost caramel color in the sun, cascading around his face, not short but not too long.. just perfect really. His profile was exquisite... ‘He looks like a work of art,’ Oliver thought to himself. 

At that moment the young man looked back, catching Oliver staring who felt like a deer caught in headlights and looked away once his brain registered to, but not before catching the little smile that spread over the young man’s lips. Oliver felt his cheeks warm. He cleared his throat. “Uh... what makes you think I’m American?” He asked. 

“Just a hunch, Malibu Ken,” the young man said and his and Oliver’s eyes met again and he gave Oliver an devastatingly gorgeous smile. 

Oliver could help it and grinned back. “I’m Oliver. What’syour name?” He asked. He kept smiling.

The gondolier looked back surprised. “Elio,” he said.

“Elio,” Oliver repeated as he nodded. Evelyn’s story popped in his mind. Before he decided it was too silly to ask he felt the words stumble out of his mouth. “There’s supposed to be a singing gondolier,” Oliver said sliding to a seat closer to Elio. He wasn’t sure what he was doing but he just wanted to engage the young man in conversation. “Ever heard of him?”

Elio looked back at Oliver, shaking his head and looking puzzled. “You sure it isn’t fake American news?” He asked, another charming smile.

Oliver laughed. He liked the way Elio smiled... “Ah... I would be inclined to believe it is if I hadn’t heard a couple of women talking about it a couple days ago. They sounded Australian to me.”

“Oh!” Elio said looking serious. Oliver looked him over. He looked almost too thin and delicate to be navigating the gondola but he was doing it perfectly and gracefully. “Well.. have you got a description? Young? Old? Charming? Handsome? Voice like silver bells on Christmas morning?”

They both laughed. “No!” Oliver said. “No. But apparently he takes requests and if you ask for a love song you’ll find love before you leave Venice!”

Elio laughed. Oliver looked up at him in surprise. “Are you serious?” He asked. Oliver nodded. “Well, that’s... a lot of pressure for just a mere gondolier!”

Oliver nodded as he looked around at the beautiful old buildings. “It sure is,” he said thoughtfully. They travelled in silence for a few minutes.

“Is that why you’re here?” Elio asked, breaking Oliver’s reverie. “To find this singing gondolier and find love?”

“Nah,” Oliver said, stretching out and shaking his head. He looked up at Elio. “No, I’ve given up on love.” He chuckled.

Elio looked at him surprised. “And... you’re happy about it?”

Oliver shrugged. “I don’t know.” He snuck another glance at Elio. “Hey, don’t let an old man ruin your views on love. I mean, a young man like you still has -“

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Elio said and Oliver looked up. “Old man? Old man?! How old are you? 31? 32?!”

“37,” Oliver said, bit of a smug smile on his face. He wasn’t sure when he began to care so much what this young stranger through. “And you?” Oliver asked. “22? 23?”

Elio laughed. “Dude I’m 30.”

“Shut up!” Oliver said. “You are not! You’re a fucking baby!”

Elio let out a great laugh that seemed to shake his whole body. “I am 30! Ok! Lying about my age gets me nowhere as a gondolier! No one wants a newbie!”

Oliver nodded, but looked back at him. “Well.. you look great!”

“As do you,” Elio said looking forward. “Seriously,” he said.

Oliver nodded. He swallowed. He... had wondered at times about his sexuality. Had never acted on it thought. Growing up he figured all guys liked other guys, that it was maybe just the norm and then he got to high school and figured out he maybe liked them a bit more. But he liked women too, and, well, his family was very conservative and so... he dropped he idea of pursuing his attraction to men. It had been fine. Every so often he saw a man that he found attractive but nothing that made him want to pursue a relationship. 

He looked up at Elio. He was beautiful. Beautiful. There was this almost feminine quality to him, yet he was masculine and...

“Alright!” Elio said, gliding his gondola against the side of the wall against the street. “We’re here.”

Oliver blinked and looked around. “Oh! Right!” He said, gathering his sunglasses and green leather bag pack. He pulled out his wallet, wishing to tip Elio.

“No, no,” Elio said. “No worries, it was a pleasure.”

“Yes, it was, which is why I wish to tip you...”

Elio grinned. “Honestly, it’s fine.”

Oliver nodded. “What time are you off?” He asked before he could change his mind.

Elio stared at him, surprised. For a moment Oliver felt a slight panic... how stupid was he?! He thought. This must be so weird! Oliver was a complete and utter moron and -

“Eight,” Elio said.

“Ok. Dinner then? Maybe? I could meet you anywhere...”

Elio nodded. “We could meet where I picked you up,” he said.

Oliver nodded back. “Ok. See you at eight.”

“Yeah, see you then,” he said.

Oliver climbed off and within seconds a noisy family climbed on to the gondola. “Finally!” The mother said and Elio looked Oliver and grinned. Oliver couldn’t help but grin back and he watched as Elio took off. He gave Oliver one last look and a nod and he was off. Oliver put his hand on his chest... a light happiness spreading inside it. He hadn’t had that feeling in the longest of times. 


	2. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... I cannot tell a short story to save my life! So we’re now looking at three chapters! I’m kinda sure I can get it done in three chapters! If not then it shall be 4!
> 
> I want to thank everyone for their wonderful comments and your support. I know I have been slacking in the posting department but I promise you I will not leave any story of mine unfinished!
> 
> Thank you all! You all mean a lot to me!
> 
> Enjoy!

Oliver was pacing. He had come early. Too early. He knew himself and he knew how his mind was always his worst enemy. He had arrived at 7:30 and now it was 7:45 and he was almost sure Elio wouldn’t show up. He had said 8, of course. Actually, he had said he was off at 8, so... he probably wouldn’t be here til 8:15 and -

“Hey!” Oliver whipped around and was actually shocked to see Elio.

“Hey!” He replied happily.

“You’re early,” Elio said with a cute sideways smile.

“So are you!” Oliver replied.

They laughed. It was easy and natural and that light feeling in Oliver’s chest returned. He noticed Elio had changed. He had a wool blazer on it seemed, with a white shirt underneath and pinstriped trousers and trainers. He looks boyish, mannish, delicate, masculine.. ‘I need to stop staring...’ Oliver thought and he looked away. He smoothed out the front of his brown pull over and looked around.

“So... I said dinner,” he began.

“Yes,” Elio replied with another cute smile.

“But I’m sure you know much better places than I do?”

Elio nodded, smug look on his face, although it was more charming than anything. “Yeah,” he said. “I think I know a place where we can go.”

He slid his hands in his pants pockets and began to walk, Oliver falling into step beside him. They had the usual small talk. Oliver told him he was a lawyer in New York and was taking 3 months off.

“So you’re in Venice for two and a half more months?” Elio asked surprised.

“Ah... sure!” Oliver said grinning.

Elio laughed. “Oh... you hadn’t decided when to leave, is that it?”

“Yeah, I got a one way ticket and figured fate would tell me when to go.”

“No, no, you don’t get to believe in fate and not believe in love!” Elio said smirking.

“Says who?!” Oliver retorted light heartedly. “Plus, I didn’t say I didn’t believe in love! I just said I simply believe it isn’t something that’s in the cards for myself. I’m allowed to believe that.”

“Why? Just because you’re here today without having found your person?” Elio asked. “Maybe it’s just taking you a little longer than most but giving up at 37 seems a bit premature for me,” Elio said with a shrug of his slim shoulders.

“And when do you think it’s time to throw in the towel then?”

“On your death bed,” Elio said seriously. He looked up at Oliver’s eyes. “Seriously. Every day we can start new. 21. 41. 61. It doesn’t matter. Every day you can go and try to find what you’re looking for. You know? Love included.”

Oliver nodded. It took him a moment to let all the words sink in and to somewhat process them. He was slightly taken back to hear Elio speak so eloquently, he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t know the young man and had no expectations of him, but it still surprised him. “Yeah,” he said smiling and glancing at him. “Yeah, I like that.”

  
Dinner ended up being at a whole in the wall place. The type of place most tourists looked over, the proof being the patrons all spoke fluent Italian and seemed to know one another. It was delicious. Elio proudly grinned as Oliver and he stuffed themselves full of baccalà mantecato and several other things. Oliver didn’t remember when he had talked so much when first meeting someone. He felt he couldn’t get enough of Elio, wishing to ask everything about him and hear about his childhood in Italy and as it so happened, France.

“So, how long have you been a gondolier?” Oliver finally asked at about 11:45 pm. Elio seemed to be very friendly with the owner of the place and the steady stream of people seemed to not ease up and so it didn’t seem that late at all. 

“Ah... seven months,” Elio answered squinting his eyes slightly as if counting the months mentally. 

Oliver stared at him. “What?” He asked in disbelief. 

Elio grinned at having caught him by surprise. “Shocked?”

“Very!”

“Is a man not allowed to aspire to be a gondolier at 29?”

“A man can aspire to be anything he wishes at any age... it just seems...”

“Unusual?” Elio asked with another sideways smile and sipping from his wine glass. 

“To say the least,” Oliver said with a slight shrug. 

Elio took a deep breath in and out. “Well, as unbelievable as it seems, I didn’t always aspire to be a gondolier,” Elio said as if he was planning to settle down and tell a story. 

“Do tell!” Oliver replied, leaning forward, chin in his palm. 

Elio grinned and nodded. He cleared his throat and raised a single eyebrow. He looked down at his empty plate of dessert. “I... am a pianist, a composer, actually,” he began. He looked up at Oliver who was, understandably taken aback.

“Are you!” Olive said.

“Yeah,” Elio answered. “Yeah. I... well I played with a few orchestras and I had been working on composing my own music and actually secured a record deal.”

“That’s incredible!” Oliver sat there looking at the handsome young man in front of him with admiration.

Elio grinned. “But uh, there were some legal issues. Some fine print stuff and I wasn’t happy with it and got some lawyers and shit just escalated and now my music is tied up with no end in sight,” Elio continued. He looked pained.

On instinct, Oliver reached across the table the took his hand, a look of concern on his handsome face. “Oh no!”

Elio nodded. “I was, still am, angry. Frustrated. I... we were in a meeting and it was obvious the label was planning to hold my music indefinitely until I bent to their will and I told them I didn’t give a fuck, that I was going to go be a gondolier. That I was done with music and... and well, the rest is history.”

Oliver stared, mouth open, shocked at all he had heard. “Oh, Elio!” He said. “Oh my god, Elio!”

Once the shock wore off they both began to laugh. Loudly. The people in the tables around them looked on, amused looks on their faces, some laughed as well. It took a while for them to calm down, to catch their breaths and relax and gather their wits.

“You stubborn son of a bitch,” Oliver whispered.

Elio chuckled. “Fuck expectations!” He whispered back. He looked right into Oliver’s eyes. “It’s my music. I don’t care if they legally own it. It’s mine. I wasn’t going to be anything I’m not. They blindsided me. They’re full of shit!” Elio said.

Oliver nodded, sympathetic. “Well,” he said without much thought. “I’m glad you’re a gondolier since that’s how we met.”

Elio grinned, lifting his wine glass. “To chance encounters,” he said. 

“To chance encounters,” Oliver replied, bringing their wine glasses together and then taking a sip of wine.

* * *

Oliver stayed in Venice. He relocated to a cheaper hotel at Elio’s advice and was glad he did so. The new place was beautiful and relaxed, a wonderful establishment. It was small and run by a family and the food was marvelous.

Elio and Oliver were seeing each other daily. After about two weeks of this, Oliver was surprised when Elio told him he would have some free days where they could spend some time together. “Taking some days off gondoliering?” Oliver asked, furrowing his brow. “Is that even a word?”

Elio laughed. “I am taking some days off work, yes, how’s that instead?”

“Yeah that works,” Oliver replied, grinning.

“This was preplanned,” Elio said. “I have some... stuff to do. Wanna join me?”

“Yeah,” Oliver answered, nodding. 

* * *

When the day came, Oliver wasn’t sure exactly where they were going. Oliver enjoyed the scenery as they traveled and eventually they ended up outside a small building in a businesses area. There really was nothing that impressive about it. When they entered there was a front desk and Elio spoke in a friendly voice to the woman working the desk. After a few minutes they began to walk inside. The building was a bit bigger than it seemed from the outside. Finally, they entered a small room and Oliver realized they were in a recording studio. 

“Wow,” Oliver said impressed. He looked at Elio, delighted. “Are you going to record something?” 

“That’s the plan,” Elio said. “Soon I’ll be able to release new music and so I wish to record a song or two today.” Elio opened the door to the second room inside where a piano sat. Elio beckoned him to follow. Oliver took a last look at the audio controls and followed Elio in. 

“So where’s the person that runs the stuff outside?” Oliver asked as they walked in and he took in the spacious room and the microphone hanging above the piano.

“She and her assistant will be here in about half an hour,” Elio said settling into the piano bench. He patted it, so as to invite Oliver to sit beside him. Oliver grinned and walked forward and sat beside Elio.

“Oh... was this your plan?” Oliver asked with a cute sideways smile and not quite thinking straight, his heart was pounding in his chest. “Romance me while you play the piano?”

“Do you want me to romance you?” Elio asked with a flirty little smile of his on. He placed his hands on the keyboard and his fingers moved around expertly on top of the keys.

“I mean I... I...” Oliver stuttered, suddenly feeling a bit exposed and embarrassed.

“It was a yes or no question,” Elio said gently as he kept playing the piano randomly. Oliver couldn’t make out a song from all he was playing.

Oliver felt himself blush. He was rendered speechless and so just stayed quiet. He was saved from answering when Elio suddenly sat up a bit straighter and began to play chords that clearly were the beginning of a song. Oliver looked on, mesmerized. As if all this wasn’t impressive enough, Oliver felt his heart skip a beat when Elio took a deep breath in and began to sing.

_“I've been watching you for some time, can’t stop staring at those ocean eyes. Burning cities and napalm skies, fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes. Your ocean eyes. No fair... you really know how to make me cry when you gimme those ocean eyes. I'm scared... I've never fallen from quite this high falling into your ocean eyes. Those ocean eyes.”_

Oliver watched on.

_“I've been walking through a world gone blind. Can't stop thinking of your diamond mind. Careful creature, made friends with time. He left him lonely with a diamond mind and those ocean eyes. No fair... you really know how to make me cry when you gimme those ocean eyes. I'm scared... I've never fallen from quite this high, falling into your ocean eyes. Those ocean eyes.”_

When the song was over Elio looked at Oliver with a bright grin on his face. It took Oliver a moment to find his voice.

“That was incredible!” He finally said. 

Elio kept grinning and bowed his head and placed a hand on his heart. He lifted his head and opened his mouth as if to talk. 

“Elio! Mi dispiace sono in ritardo!” Came a female voice from over the speaker in the studio, breaking the soft magic of the moment. 

Elio seemed to look at Oliver apologetically. He leaned a bit to the side and gave a small smile. “Oh no! Sei giusto in tempo! Sono in anticipo!” He responded. 

Oliver grinned. “I’ll step outside,” he said softly. 

“I won’t be long,” Elio told him as he slid to the center of the piano bench. 

“No, please,” Oliver told him placing a hand on his left shoulder. “Please. Take all the time you need. I will be out there enjoying every second of it.”

They gazed at each other a moment, Elio nodding slowly. “Alright,” he finally said. 

Oliver nodded and walked out of the small room. There was a woman who looked as young as Elio speaking rapid Italian to another man as they fiddled with the equipment. There were now several laptops set up. They greeted Oliver in a friendly manner and he said hello back. He stood a little to the side, away enough to not get in their way but close enough he could still see Elio perfectly.

Soon enough the recording began and Oliver watched on, touched and blown away at Elio’s talent. He had been watching for about 35 minutes when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

**Hey man! Long time no speak. How goes Venice?**

It was Scott.

Oliver looked up from his phone and watched Elio a while more. He looked down at his phone and began to type quickly.

_**Well... seems the singing gondolier eluded me but I’m fine with that.** _

Oliver grinned at his own message. He felt butterflies in his stomach. He didn’t remember the last time he felt that. He continued the text.

_**Venice is all I hoped it would be and more. I may end up staying here the whole three months. Hope you and Evelyn are good. I’ll talk to you later bro** _

Oliver sent the message and slipped his phone back in his pocket and kept on watching Elio. He took a deep breath in. A few weeks ago three months had seemed like an incredible amount of time. At this moment, it didn’t seemed like barely any time at all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song, if you would like to hear it: 
> 
> [jens - Ocean Eyes (Billie Eilish cover)](https://youtu.be/GhkOAVJPUU4)


End file.
